President Donald Trump's administration has tempered a key element of his move to ban entry of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries in the face of mounting criticism and protests that drew tens of thousands in major American cities.
Trump signed the directive on Friday, but the policy appeared to be evolving on the fly. Democrats and a growing number of Republicans assailed the move and foreign leaders condemned it amid court challenges and tumult at US airports.
The president's critics have said his action violates US law and the US Constitution. In a fresh defense of the action, Trump said his directive was "not about religion" but keeping America safe.
US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement that people from the seven countries who hold so-called green cards as lawful permanent US residents would not be blocked from returning to the United States from overseas, as some had been following the directive.
In his statement, Kelly said: "I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest."
Outside the White House, several thousand protesters denounced him, carrying signs such as "Deport Trump" and "Fear is a terrible thing for a nation's soul." Protests also were staged in cities and airports in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Dallas and elsewhere.
The Republican president on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a three-month bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Border and customs officials struggled to put Trump's directive into practice. Confusion persisted over details of implementation, in particular for the people who hold green cards.
Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Trump supporter, said the president's order had been poorly implemented, particularly for green card holders.
"The administration should immediately make appropriate revisions, and it is my hope that following a thorough review and implementation of security enhancements that many of these programs will be improved and reinstated," Corker said.
Trump defended his action.
"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," Trump said in a statement on Sunday. "This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order."
He added: "We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days."
US judges in at least five states blocked federal authorities from enforcing Trump's directive, but lawyers representing people covered by the order said some authorities were unwilling on Sunday to follow the judges' rulings.
US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, prominent Republican foreign policy voices, said in a joint statement that Trump's order may do more to help recruit terrorists than improve US security.
"Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism," they said, adding the United States should not stop green card holders "from returning to the country they call home."
Trump blasted the two senators in a Twitter statement, calling them "sadly weak on immigration."
In a another Twitter message earlier on Sunday, Trump said the United States needed "strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW."
